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Tovah Feldshuh In a Nutshell\There's something about Tovah Feldshuh — oh, heck, let's just call her Tovah, like she tells us to do in her cabaret show's zippy opening number '...Tovah Feldshuh In a Nutshell\There's something about Tovah Feldshuh — oh, heck, let's just call her Tovah, like she tells us to do in her cabaret show's zippy opening number '...2008-04-10

There’s something about Tovah Feldshuh — oh, heck, let’s just call her Tovah, like she tells us to do in her cabaret show’s zippy opening number ”Call Me Tovah” — that’s instantly warm, welcoming, and invigorating. Perhaps it’s the way at In a Nutshell she addresses us as ”my darlings.” Or the look on her face as she deadpans: ”You are in the nutshell of my brain.” Or the zest with which she careens through a motley crew of characters like foul-mouthed Sophie Tucker; a snooty subway-phobe; her Italian-accented voice teacher (a soprano who barks like a dog as a warm-up); and a baseball-cap-wearing street kid (there’s a rap involved, and it’s best left undiscussed). She’s probably the first person to recite e.e. cummings’ adulterous ode ”may i feel said he” at Feinstein’s at the Regency. (Poetry in a piano bar? Oy gevalt!) But Tovah is at her best when she’s simply being herself — crooning a breathy, torchy ”That Old Black Magic,” pouring her optimism into a tinkly ”On a Clear Day,” channeling her father and her younger self for a Gershwin medley. ”Gershwin was the composer of choice in our house,” she recalls, before launching into ”Of Thee I Sing,” ”My One and Only,” ”I Got Rhythm,” and a host of other George and Ira gems. It’s the highlight of the evening, and the best showcase for this petite powerhouse singer/actress. For her return Feinstein’s engagement, may I suggest an all-Gershwin set? Oh, Tovah Be Good? Fascinating Tovah? Of Tovah We Sing? So many possibilities…. (212-339-4095 or feinsteinsattheregency.com) B